Xi asks unions to protect workers' rights

Chinese President Xi Jinping (C rear) has a group talk with members of the new leadership of All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 23, 2013. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called on labor unions to serve and safeguard employees' rights, while stressing the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) over the labor unions.

"Trade unions should protect workers' interests and promote social justice to win public trust and support," Xi told the new leadership of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) on Wednesday morning.

Xi urged the leadership of the trade unions to put workers' initiative and creativity at the center of their cause, to serve the workers wholeheartedly and safeguard their rights and interests.

The unions should resolve the practical problems closest to workers' interests and which they care about most, he said.

Xi also urged unions to adhere to the tradition of put itself under the leadership of the Communist Party.

The job of China's workers' movement is to strive for the collective Chinese dream of national rejuvenation, he said.

The working class is a reliable and firm foundation for the CPC and a primary force in building a moderately prosperous society. China should combine each worker's personal desires with the national dream and mobilize all workers to contribute, he said.

Xi asked union leaders to improve their work style, stay close to the workers and listen to their voices, and build unions into a reliable "home for employees."

Founded on May 1, 1925, the ACFTU is China's only umbrella union and has 31 provincial trade union federations, 10 national industrial unions and more than 1.3 million grassroots trade union organizations.

The ACFTU is the world's largest labor union with 280 million members, 109 million of whom are migrant workers from rural areas working in cities.

A new ACFTU leadership with Li Jianguo as chairman was elected during a plenary session of the ACFTU 16th Executive Committee between Oct. 20-21.